Formica on top of Formica

Leo Voisine

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East Freeetown, Massachusetts
Ughhh - don't even ask.

I will remodel the kitchen "some day" but not this day.

For now - I am going to just paint the ugly cabinets.

NOW - I have an ORANGE formica counter top

We hate it - and will some day replace it - buy I just cannot replace it now.

I am thinking of just putting a new formica on top of the old ugly orange formica top.

Do you think the contact cement will adhere to the old formica?
 
I've heard of it being done - ain't never done it myself ... like John said, if it's free of grease and roughed up good, it shouldn't have any problem stickin'
 
Leo,
I always try to go to the horses mouth so to speak - below are the suggestions from two manufacturers. When I did our counter, it was suggested that I first put down 1/4" MDF glued and screwed. Then having a "new" surface, apply the new laminate as usual. The big reason I was told to go the extra step was to prevent delamination if hot items are placed on the counter. I got this from two different counter guys. Most say it's overkill, but it's worked fine for 15 years of abuse.
Good Luck!!
Wes

Wilsonart:
I want to laminate over melamine or existing laminate can I do this?

We do not recommend bonding to existing laminate or melamine covered surfaces (in fact, our warranty does not cover these applications) because they are non-porous and often prove troublesome. If you decide to try anyway, follow these five guidelines:

1. Sand the entire existing laminate surface with coarse grit sandpaper and then clean the dust off. This creates scratches for the adhesive to grip into.
2. Allow the substrates and the glue to warm up to room temperature before use and perform all bonding at room temperature.
3. Ensure 100% of the area to be bonded is covered with an adequate amount of adhesive (see product label for specific coverage amounts); be especially diligent about coverage around the perimeter.
4. Do not try mating the substrates together too soon. The substrates will be ready to bond when the film of glue on each substrate feels tacky when you firmly press your fingertip onto it. The glue is NOT ready to bond and must dry longer if the glue is still wet or if any glue actually sticks to your fingertip and creates a rubbery “leg” as you pull your finger away.
5. After mating the substrates together, use a hand-held J-roller with as much manual pressure as you can bring to bear over the entire surface. Multiple passes are recommended.

Formica:
http://www.formica.com/publish/site....0031.DownloadFile.File.tmp/4 Resurf Tech.pdf
 
Wes,

Thank you for such an in depth answer.

I am not trying to make a long term fix.

This is just a short term "get rid of the ugly orange" counter.

Hopefully - the max time would be no more than 5 years - most likely 2-3 years, before I do a total remodel. At that time I will get a professional Corian counter top installed.

I think the 1/4 MDF makes a lot of sense, and if I were wanting longevity I would do that - but this is a short term fix. If I cannot sand it as well as I want - that will definately be the contingency plan.

Again - thank you,

Leo
 
If you look at the cost of a sheet of laminate vs a ready to use countertop at the borg's there's not much in it so why not just get the countertop and then replace it when you can afford something more expensive?

I would think the aggrovation time of prep and trying to get the laminate to stick vs removing it and replacing is negligible.
 
when i do an economy kitchen i will use PB core melamine for the boxes and lay up the end panels with P-lam. if the melamine surface is new i will shoot a layer of solvent based adhesive on both the end panel and the laminate and allow 20 minutes before setting the p-lam. when all the proper steps are taken there is no reason for failure of the bond. for an existing c-top its best to clean it like described earlier before spraying the adhesive.

the most important step in laying up p-lam is rolling it after they make contact. spend enough time and use enough pressure to seat it properly. i use a scrap of UHMW about 4"wide with a 1/8" radius instead of the common rollers. with a smaller radius in contact with the surface it requires much less pressure to seat it correctly.
 
If you look at the cost of a sheet of laminate vs a ready to use countertop at the borg's there's not much in it so why not just get the countertop and then replace it when you can afford something more expensive?

I would think the aggrovation time of prep and trying to get the laminate to stick vs removing it and replacing is negligible.

On the surface I would agree - but the job would be just a little more prep work to the wall than I care to do right now. I did actually think about that.

I can bang out the laminate real fast and easy - just a few hours and be done with it.

This is just to cover up the old ugly orange counter.

Heck - for that matter I am only painting the cabinets.

I need to get away from house repairs and into the shop to built a dresser for my first granddaughter - she is due to arrive in October.

At the pace I work at - I need al the time I can get. Snails pass me up.

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One more issue I have with the laminate top is that it is well over 96 inches long. I wonder if I can get 10 foot long laminate?
 
Leo

Strip the back splash Using a spatula & slide it behind the back splash & wall work it along to slice it free you may need to do a little repair to the wall after you get the back splash off. remove the front edge & end caps sand the top & clean up the edges. Using the REGULAR CONTACT CEMENT NOT WATER BASED it will not stick laminate to laminate with any great success . glue your end caps on first then the front edge then the top & then the back splash. If your using the aluminum around the back splash you can use it to trim the top & ends of the laminate & just caulk the joint between the top & back splash.
 
Leo,
I had to order in a larger sheet for my counter as well. (worth the extra hassle not to have seams.) But I know I didn't pay 3x more. It was incrementally more, but not a huge upcharge. Are you ordering through Lowes, or a local supplier? I suspect that's a Lowes price. I would find a local lumber yard or even a counter shop and order from them. I would hazard a bet that you'd be under the $100 mark.

FWIW, Wes
 
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